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Tuesday, November 6, 2012

How To Protect Your Vote In A Crooked County, Or On An Electronic Voting Machine

Brad Friedman has some tips for voting and making sure everyone's vote counts.

First and foremost:

If you have problems or see problems at the polls, be sure to report them to866-OUR-VOTE, or atOurVoteLive.org!

Catch any problems at the polls on photo or video? Upload it to YouTube and social sites, and tellVideoTheVote.org! Also tag it with the #VideoTheVote hashtag.

Be at the polls when they close and photograph and video tape the results tapes that are printed out from electronic systems. Results have a way of changing between the time they're printed out at the close of polls and the time they show up on the web. Your photographic evidence could help save an election!

Watching results on the web throughout the night? Take screenshots, save them as you go, and include a timestamp in the filename when you do. Those web results also have a way of changing, sometimes in the wrong direction, throughout the night. Your evidence could help save an election!

Vote on a Paper Ballot!

In some places, it may be too late to vote on paper ballots. In others, know your rights and whether you are entitled to vote on a paper ballot if you wish, even if they try to direct you towards an electronic voting system. For example, in OH and CA every voter may vote on paper if they wish and if they know to ask for one. So (politely) demand a paper ballot! Check with your County Clerk or Sec. of State if you're not sure.

A touch-screen system with a little paper printout is NOT a paper ballot! Those paper printouts are never counted and your vote will be 100% unverifiable, like Barack Obama's foolishly was. We made this short toon to explain that point quickly in 2008, so let's roll it out once again...